Rosary Bowl Success !

Our parish had a bus load of parishioners attend the Rose Bowl Rosary event. It didn't start until the late afternoon because people just kept coming!

Approximately 50,000 people !

This article from the Saturday before the event:

For many years, Southern California was home to annual outdoor celebrations of the Roman Catholic rosary and the Virgin Mary, events that drew thousands at a time to the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Dodger Stadium.

The devotional service, known as Mary's Hour, began at the Bowl in 1948 and drew its largest audience, about 100,000, to the Coliseum in 1954.

But crowds of the faithful dwindled over time, and Mary's Hour was last held on an annual basis in 1969, with occasional smaller services in the late 1980s.The tradition is scheduled to be revived today, when organizers say 50,000 to 75,000 people are expected to gather for the "Rosary Bowl," the first celebration of the rosary to be held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Organizers say the event, from 6 to 9 p.m., will include prayer, music and cultural exhibitions and is expected to draw participants from across Southern California.

"The intent is to encourage families to come together to pray the rosary and pray for peace," said Beth Mahoney, mission director of Holy Cross Family Ministries of Easton, Mass. The group is sponsoring the gathering with its local affiliate, Family Theater Productions of Hollywood, and the support of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The event, "A World at Prayer Is a World at Peace," is free and open to the public. More than 75,000 advance tickets have been distributed, the organizers said, and tickets may still be obtained at the Rose Bowl today. READ MORE

No exact number on the event but 50,000 seem to be what I heard on the evening news.

Hope this becomes an annual event again.